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NEW VIEW OF GENOMES. “Traditionally, genomes have been perceived mostly as repositories of protein-coding genes. Although this might be largely true in the case of viruses, prokaryotes, and unicellular eukaryotes, numerous recent studies on the genomes of multicellular eukaryotes, particularly animals, have revealed a vast non-coding RNome, i.e., numerous genes encoding various classes of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs).” https://lnkd.in/dwuaM5f View in LinkedIn

APHID BETRAYAL. "We report an unprecedented aphid–ant interaction in which one of the two clonally produced root-dwelling morphs of the aphid Paracletus cimiciformis imitates the cuticular hydrocarbons of Tetramorium ant larvae, inducing ants to transport the aphids to their brood chamber, where they suck on ant larva hemolymph. To our knowledge, this strategy constitutes the first known case of aggressive mimicry in aphids." http://www.pnas.org/content/112/4/1101.full View in LinkedIn

INSTAR CULLING. "The cost-benefit logic of this type of polyculture husbandry has striking analogies with human farming practices based on slaughtering young animals for meat to maximize milk-production by a carefully regulated adult livestock population." http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/12/106?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BMCUMCG+(BioMed+Central+Publications+by+University+Medical+Center+Groningen) View in LinkedIn

MEAT VS HONEYDEW. "The ants appear to eat most of the early instar aphids, so that adult aphids are unlikely to face limited phloem resources and scramble competition with other aphids. We suggest that such culling of carbohydrate-providing symbionts for protein ingestion may maintain maximal host yield per aphid while also benefitting the domesticated aphids as long as their clone-mates reproduce successfully." (Instar, a transitory juvenile phase). https://lnkd.in/dYTnMRA) View in LinkedIn

DISEASE REDUCTION. "Our results extend the long-standing view of ants as mutualists and protectors of aphids by demonstrating focused sanitizing and quarantining behaviour that may lead to reduced disease transmission in aphid colonies." http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/11/16/rsbl.2009.0743.short View in LinkedIn

DISEASE REDUCTION. "Our results extend the long-standing view of ants as mutualists and protectors of aphids by demonstrating focused sanitizing and quarantining behaviour that may lead to reduced disease transmission in aphid colonies." http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/11/16/rsbl.2009.0743.short View in LinkedIn

APHID MICROBIOTA. "The microbiota of most aphids is dominated by the γ-proteobacterium Buchnera aphidicola, which provides the aphid with essential amino acids and is required by the insect: aphids experimentally deprived of B. aphidicola by antibiotic treatment (‘aposymbiotic’ aphids) grow very slowly and are reproductively sterile." http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/275/1634/565.short View in LinkedIn

POOR DIET. "Plant phloem sap is one diet with a grossly unbalanced amino acid composition. Symbiotic bacteria enable insect to use a nutritionally inadequate diet. The capacity of aphids to use plant phloem sap, with low essential amino acid content, has been attributed to their symbiotic bacteria, Buchnera aphidicola, which can synthesize these nutrients." https://lnkd.in/d5SK36b View in LinkedIn

SUPPLEMENTAL DIET. "Many herbivorous insects are chronically infected by symbiotic micro-organisms, some of which supplement the nutritionally poor plant diet with vitamins and essential amino acids. These symbiotic micro-organisms are generally beneficial for the insect host." https://lnkd.in/dNuJ26a View in LinkedIn

SURPRISE. “Strikingly, the total number of genes for ncRNAs that are expressed from a mammalian genome seems to exceed the number of protein-coding genes several fold.” (ncRNA = non-coding RNA). https://lnkd.in/dwuaM5f View in LinkedIn